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The 2014-2015 One Book

Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories

by Sherman Alexie

Alexie show­cases his many talents in Blasphemy, where he unites fifteen beloved classics with fifteen new stories in one sweeping anthology for devoted fans and first-time readers. Included here are some of his most esteemed tales, including “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” in which a homeless Indian man quests to win back a family heirloom; “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” a road-trip morality tale; “The Toughest Indian in the World,” about a night shared between a writer and a hitchhiker; and his most recent, “War Dances,” about a man grappling with sudden hearing loss in the wake of his father’s death. Alexie’s new stories are fresh and quintessential, about donkey basket­ball leagues, lethal wind turbines, a twenty-four hour Asian manicure salon, good and bad marriages, and all species of warriors in America today.

After the release of Blasphemy in 2012, Kirkus Reviews, The New York Times, and NPR all included Blasphemy in their lists of the top books of 2012. He was recently awarded a 2014 Literature Award by The American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Alexie’s other books include Flight (April 2007, Grove/Atlantic) which is a sci-fi novel and a parable of war featuring an edgy teen outcast named Zits on the verge of committing a colossal act of violence, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (September 2007, Little, Brown) which is Alexie’s first young adult novel. This novel is a coming-of-age, interracial comedy for young adults based on Junior’s first year at an all-white high school.

Awards

His recent honors include receiving the 2007 National Book Award in Young People’s Literature for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Other awards and honors include the 2007 Western Literature Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award and the 2003 Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award, Washington State University's highest honor for alumni. His work was selected for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories 2004, edited by Lorrie Moore, and Pushcart Prize XXIX of the Small Presses. His short story "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" was selected by juror Ann Patchett as her favorite story for the The O. Henry Prize Stories 2005. He holds honorary degrees from Seattle University (doctor of humanities, honoris causa - 2000) and Columbia College, Chicago (1999).

AUTHOR DAY: Thursday, October 16, 2014!

Q&A and Discussion for Learning Communities:

"Native American Repatriation"

Students from the Sac State Academic Learning Communities are invited a special presentation where distinguished faculty and members of the community will speak about varying issues regarding Native American repatriation. Each panelist will present short commentaries and then engage with the audience in a Q&A.

For more information, please contact UNIQUE at (916) 278-6997. To find out more about UNIQUE, please click here.

Mid-Day Reading and Campus Lecture by Sherman Alexie

"Sherman Alexie: A Reading from Blasphemy"

Sherman Alexie will read from his collection of short stories, Blasphemy, which unites fifteen beloved classics with fifteen new stories in one sweeping anthology for devoted fans and first-time readers, including some of his most esteemed tales, including “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” “The Toughest Indian in the World,” and his most recent, “War Dances,” along with Alexie’s new stories about donkey basket­ball leagues, lethal wind turbines, a twenty-four hour Asian manicure salon, good and bad marriages, and all species of warriors in America today.

For more information, please contact UNIQUE at (916) 278-6997. To find out more about UNIQUE, please click here.

Public Reading and Lecture by Sherman Alexie

"An Evening with Sherman Alexie"

Sherman Alexie reads from Blasphemy, a collection of short stories uniting fifteen beloved classics with fifteen new stories in one sweeping anthology for devoted fans and first-time readers. Included are some of his most esteemed tales, including “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” “The Toughest Indian in the World,” and his most recent, “War Dances,” along with Alexie’s new stories about donkey basket­ball leagues, lethal wind turbines, a twenty-four hour Asian manicure salon, good and bad marriages, and all species of warriors in America today.

For more information, please contact UNIQUE at (916) 278-6997. To find out more about UNIQUE, please click here.

More about the author

To find out more about Mr. Alexie, please visit his website at Falls Apart.

Accessibility

All author day events are accessible for wheelchairs and other mobility devices. The public evening lecture is accompanied by a sign language interpreter.

Blasphemy is available in accessible formats. Please contact the High Tech Center of Services to Students with Disabilities (SSWD) at 916-278-7915. Please note that SSWD is only able to give access to alternative media for the One Book under certain conditions. Students must be registered with SSWD and be approved for alternative media accommodations at the High Tech Center. The One Book must required reading material and the student will need to provide proof of purchase. For more information, please contact SSWD at sswd@csus.edu or (916) 278-6955 or (916) 278-7239 (TTY) for assistance.